Rebates

In January 2008, New Jersey enacted legislation mandating the use of high performance green building standards in new state construction. The standard requires that new buildings larger than 15,000 square feet constructed for the sole use of state entities should be designed and managed to meet high performance green building standards. The law allows for exceptions from specific requirements in cases of practical difficulty. These exceptions only apply to the specific requirement in question and do not extend to all requirements. With some exceptions the state is also required to purchase Energy Star products when available, a provision adopted in

In March 2008, South Dakota enacted legislation mandating the use of high-performance building standards in new state construction and renovations. The law was updated in 2021, lessening the previous standards and removing the requirements for renovations. The policy now requires that new state buildings achieve the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certified rating (decreased from silver rating), a two-globe rating under the Green Building Initiative's (GBI) Green Globe rating system, or a comparable numeric rating from another accredited sustainable building certification program. The law applies to all new construction projects by state agencies, departments, or institutions that has a cost

In January 2007, the City of Plano adopted a policy to "finance, plan, design, construct, manage, renovate, and maintain its facilities and buildings to be sustainable." This policy applies to new construction and major renovations. Return on investment will be considered when determining feasibility of implementing green features. 

Design elements will be prioritized based on their ability to provide future energy savings, water conservation, waste reduction, and improved indoor air quality. Key factors to consider incorporating into the design include:
1. Use of passive solar energy
2. Natural lighting (day lighting) and adjustable lighting systems
3. Highly reflective roof and

To encourage sustainable building practices, North Carolina law allows all counties and cities to provide reductions or partial rebates for building permit fees. To qualify for a fee reduction, buildings must meet guidelines established by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, the Green Globes program, or another recognized certification program.

SB 1597 of 2008 also granted authority to a few select jurisdictions to provide density bonuses, make adjustments to otherwise applicable development requirements, or provide other incentives to a developer or builder who builds or reconstructs developments which make a significant contribution to the reduction of energy

In 2022, the Houston City Council adopted the Municipal Building Decarbonization and Benchmarking Policy, requiring that city buildings target a 5% year-over-year reduction in electric power and natural gas consumption. This goal will be accomplished by implementing cost-effective measures to increase energy efficiency and decrease natural gas and other fossil fuel reliance through preventative maintenance, capital
improvement projects, and other measures. AP 3-41 outlines further guidance for energy performance and energy use intensity targets for existing city buildings,  new or replacement facilities, and major renovations. Energy use intensity (EUI) targets for electric power by building type include:

• Public Service.....90

In April 2007, the Asheville City Council adopted carbon emission reduction goals and set LEED standards for new city buildings. The policies passed by the City have set specific goals in a variety of climate related areas. These include
achieving LEED certification for new City buildings, reducing carbon emissions by 80%, reducing municipal waste by 50%, and transitioning to 100% renewable energy. To work towards this goal, the council also resolved that all new occupied city-owned buildings greater than 5,000 square feet will adhere to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified "Gold" standard

In the aftermath of a May 2007 tornado that destroyed 95% of the city, the Greensburg City Council passed an ordinance requiring that all newly constructed or renovated municipally-owned facilities larger than 4,000 square feet be designed to conform to the platinum rating of the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED Green Building Rating System. The ordinance further requires that such buildings be designed to achieve all 10 points possible under EA Credit 1 "Optimize Energy Performance." Achieving this requires a whole building energy consumption reduction of 42% compared to the standard building baseline (ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004). 

As of 2014

In January 2006, the City of Grand Rapids approved a resolution detailing the city's sustainability policy for public buildings. The resolution directed city personnel to implement the principles for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program and the EPA Energy Star and Green Lights programs. Included in this was a specific requirement that all construction and renovation projects involving municipal buildings larger than 10,000 square feet and a cost of $1 million or more receive LEED certification.

Update: Grand Rapids' 2019 strategic plan established goals for renewables, emissions reductions, and energy reductions for public buildings, as well as percentage increases

In 2005 New York City passed a law (Local Law No. 86) making a variety of green building and energy efficiency requirements for municipal buildings and other projects funded with money from the city treasury. The building requirements (described in detail below) apply to new construction, building additions, and substantial reconstructions of existing buildings. Substantial reconstruction is defined as a capital project that involves construction work affecting at least 50% of the floor area or that involves rehabilitation work in at least two of the three major building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing). The construction cost values below are

The City Council of Fort Collins passed a resolution in September 2006 establishing green building goals for new city-owned buildings of 5,000 square feet or more. New buildings must be designed and constructed to achieve US Green Building Council LEED Gold certification, and existing buildings are to use the LEED standard as a guide for sustainable operation and maintenance, though no specific requirements are established.

To control the construction and design costs associated with new buildings meeting this standard, the goal of Gold can be reduced to Silver for projects where the payback period for earning Gold certification is ten